Bizarre naval experiments revealed

Details of bizarre experiments carried out by doctors at sea have emerged in
newly released documents.

The Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October 1805, by Joseph Mallord William TurnerPhoto: National Maritime Museum

9:00AM BST 30 Sep 2010

In one, a sailor who had fallen overboard was apparently revived by filling his lungs with tobacco smoke, while another tried to deliberately infect subjects with sexually transmitted diseases.

A Royal Navy surgeon claimed James Calloway, unconscious seaman, who was thought to have drowned was brought back by fumes from a pipe.

Along with tobacco, medics on board naval vessels, emigrant ships and convict transport in the 19th century relied on a range of treatments including alcohol, blood-letting and various natural remedies in a bid to restore the health of their patients.

On January 19 1802 Calloway, a seaman aged 40, was treated on the HMS Princess Royal.

Surgeon Ben Lara wrote: ''Brought on board an appearance of a corpse - he had fallen over the bows of the launch, which passed over him with a smart breeze, another boat endeavouring to assist, also drove him under water.

''He emerged and was again sinking when dragged into the boat.

''He was about 12 minutes in the water and 20 minutes elapsed before he was brought aboard.''

The sailor was stripped and laid on a warm bed in the galley where he was ''rubbed dry'' with cloths and sack.

''He proceeded in this mode for a quarter of an hour without effect,'' Mr Lara reported in documents held at the National Archives in Kew.

''Being compelled to relinquish the advantage of the galley he was removed into the bay - here on a warm bed. Bottles with hot water, were put under his hands, armpits and to the feet.

''Pewter plates heated and defended with flannel were placed along the spine.

''Tobacco smoke was conveyed to the lungs through the tube of a common pipe.

''In three quarters of an hour from his removal to the bay I observed an obscure palpitation of the heart - the tobacco smoke was urged.

''In ten minutes from this he sighed faintly and closed his mouth.

''The smoke was continued. He coughed, pulse at the wrist was evident.''

An hour and 20 minutes after being pulled from the water, the patient managed to speak and swallow two spoonfuls of brandy and water, according to the surgeon.

Mr Lara added: ''In four hours from our first applications he was perfectly collected.''

The sailor recovered and was cleared to return to duty on February 7 1802 but the surgeon warns: ''From his general appearance, which I do not find it easy to describe, I think a favourable termination to be very problematical.''

Another ''experiment'', was conducted on a young woman with a venereal disease - a common problem at sea, according to a surgeon on HMS Gladiator. Both the woman's ''keeper'' and an officer had ''connexion'' with her to see how gonorrhoea and syphilis were spread, the documents reveal.